Dave Bakke: Move Bloom memorial plaque indoors

Tuesday

Jun 30, 2009 at 12:01 AMJun 30, 2009 at 1:55 AM

Following Friday’s column on the sorry state of the memorial for 3-year-old Jennifer Bloom, workers cleaned up the site. The crabgrass that covered the memorial plaque was pulled. A small decorative fence was placed in front of the plaque, and the cigarette butts were cleaned up -- for a while.

Dave Bakke

Following Friday’s column on the sorry state of the memorial for 3-year-old Jennifer Bloom, workers cleaned up the site. The crabgrass that covered the memorial plaque was pulled. A small decorative fence was placed in front of the plaque, and the cigarette butts were cleaned up -- for a while.

Jennifer was killed, along with her father, State Sen. Prescott Bloom, in a house fire in Peoria in 1986. Two years later, the state office building at Second Street and South Grand Avenue in Springfield was named the Prescott Bloom Building. A tree and plaque were placed near the entrance in honor of Jennifer.

But someone cut down the tree, and last week the memorial was littered with cigarette butts, most discarded, apparently, by employees of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services who work in the Bloom Building. Some of the cigarettes were even thrown on top of Jennifer’s memorial plaque.

Now that the butts are reappearing again, it doesn’t seem anything short of an armed guard can stop those smokers from littering Jennifer’s memorial. That is why the memorial plaque should be moved to a suitable place inside the building.

An update from the Department of Central Management Services was e-mailed to me Tuesday afternoon. In its statement, the agency apologizes to Jennifer’s mother, Dianne, and to Jennifer’s brother, Jeff (who survived the fire) for improper maintenance of the memorial. The agency says it will contact Dianne and Jeff, who still live in Peoria, to determine the family’s wishes for Jennifer’s memorial.

“With the family’s input,” says the CMS statement, “we will explore options that provide a more permanent solution to maintaining the Jennifer Bloom memorial in a respectful manner.”

Annie Thompson, public information officer for Healthcare and Family Services, said Tuesday that signs will be placed near the front of the Bloom Building asking employees to refrain from smoking in the memorial area. Smokers will be asked to stay in designated smoking areas such as the one at east end of the building, which is far from the memorial.

Employees will also be reminded to dispose of their cigarettes in the receptacles provided. There will be more of those receptacles added outside the building. Let’s see how well that works.

Also on Tuesday, I received this from HFS Director Barry S. Maram:

“I was fortunate to know Senator Bloom personally and have a deep respect for his work and advocacy. I will not soon forget his leadership, and I am privileged to work in a building that bears his name.

“I was saddened to hear that the memorial bearing the name of Senator Bloom’s daughter, Jennifer, has not been receiving the respect it should. I am committed to making sure employees understand the importance of recognizing Jennifer’s memorial with reverence, and I plan to work with CMS to respect the Bloom family’s wishes for the memorial.”

A caller who knows the story behind the cutting down of the tree said there have been two trees at the site of Jennifer’s memorial. The statement from CMS confirms that.

My caller said the original tree dropped its berries all over the sidewalk and onto cars in the parking lot, including onto the car of the agency director at that time. (This was years ago). That director ordered the tree cut down. The CMS statement simply says the tree was “blighted” and removed – so take your pick on that one.

A second tree, a conifer, was planted next to Jennifer’s plaque. That tree died and was cut down last year.

Part of the problem here, according to my caller, is that too many maintenance workers have been eliminated by the state in recent years. That is part of the reason why problems like the mess around Jennifer’s plaque happen.

The few remaining maintenance staffers usually take care of the interiors and exteriors of several state office buildings, not just one. That is the way it is in this age of state budget deficits and cutbacks.

The maintenance workers who remain, the caller says, cannot spend hours picking up cigarette butts while neglecting restrooms, burned-out lights, dirty floors and unmowed grass. That is another reason for moving Jennifer’s memorial inside – no maintenance is required.

As for those people who continue to throw their cigarette butts on and around Jennifer’s memorial plaque – apparently no brains are required, either.

Dave Bakke can be reached at (217) 788-1541 or dave.bakke@sj-r.com.

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